At least 32 dead in Syria

Published December 30th, 2011 - 18:26 GMT

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians took to the streets across the country Friday in the largest protests in months

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians took to the streets across the country Friday in the largest protests in months, calling for the overthrow of the regime, activists said. Despite the presence of the Arab monitors, activists said Syrian troops killed at least 32 people.

According to the AP, Rami Abdul-Raham, who heads the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the crowds were largest Friday in Idlib and Hama provinces, with 250,000 people each. Other big protests were held in Daraa province and the Damascus suburb of Douma, he said.

In general, activists claim, Syrian security forces have launched attacks when observers were not present. But there have been some reports of firing on protesters while the monitors were close by. The Local Coordination Committees, an activist coalition, said at least 130 Syrians, including six children, have died since the Arab observers started their one-month mission on Tuesday.